MNPS attorney: Tennessee's charter school law is unconstitutional

8:13 PM,
Aug. 23, 2013

Jesse Register, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools

Written by

Joey Garrison
| The Tennessean

An attorney for Metro Nashville Public Schools says the decade-old state law that allows charter schools to operate in Tennessee is unconstitutional, perhaps giving local school districts a basis for a major legal fight.

That conclusion came from Washington, D.C., attorney John Borkowski this month in a legal opinion that argues Tennessee's 2002 charter law "seems to impose increased costs on local governments with no offsetting subsidy from the state," which he said violates the Tennessee Constitution.

Borkowski, whom the district has previously tapped for high-profile legal ...